Hip-hop is no longer limited to rap music and break dancing; today it represents a multi-billion dollar industry influencing everything from fashion to prime time television programming, professional sports, media marketing and advertising. Today, Hip-Hop is becoming a way of life, a culture that is intricately woven into all aspects of young people’s daily lives.
Artists like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Public Enemy, 2Pac (to a degree right?) and many more use hip hop to describe the social inequalities of the black community and inner city. They are giving a very human touch to issues that are hardened by misinterpretation, exoticism and sensationalism. Artists like 50 Cent and the ‘gangsta rap’ genre have become extremely popular in America today, partly due to corporate manipulation and the large multiracial audience that now exists for hip-hop music.
Hip-hop is an expression of the social, political, and economic problems associated with life in urban areas. Since African Americans are the dominant group in urban centers, their influence is the greatest in urban music. Hip-hop lyrics, with their emphasis on “keeping it real” and marked by a colossal indifference to mainstream taste, became an equally powerful influence on black youth. These two influences have created a new breed of brand that refuses to assimilate but is nonetheless an important part of mainstream American culture.
Legendary hip hop icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of pioneering hip hop group RunDMC told a crowd recently that what they see on TV in music videos is “show business” and not a true reflection of what represents hip hop. “The whole purpose of hip hop is to inspire, motivate and educate. It’s the transfer of information, whether you’re in the ghetto or Beverly Hills. Hip hop is about the life we live, especially for black people.” DMC said. “Hip hop was created to make it known that we as a people are in charge of our purpose and our destiny. The real purpose of hip hop was not just to create rappers,” he added.
Rap developed both within and outside of hip hop culture, beginning with block parties organized in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s by Kool Herc and others. Rap, graffiti, the spoken word are part of hip-hop. Of course, there’s a lot more to hip-hop, but you wouldn’t know that by playing hip-hop-based video games.
TJ Crawford, founder and executive producer of MPR Report, a radio talk show that airs weekly on WVON 1690 AM, said: “It goes beyond hip hop, it goes beyond a generation. It’s about people wanting something better. for their people and to recognize the power that is in music. People who are in that same spirit are trying to see who they can connect with to take it to the next level.”
Opportunities are few outside the ghettos; therefore, his language focuses on his world. Instant gratification reflects the short life expectancy. Thus, when money is earned, it is for conspicuous consumption. Hip hop is the culture of a people who, separated from the dominant society, turns to themselves to create their own standards of survival in a hostile world.
However, those who continue to proclaim “victim, victim” you will never realize beyond your “victimism”. With hip hop having such an influence today, more than ever, it’s enlightening to see some organizations realize the responsibility to protect the integrity of such a powerful influence. This is brought about by public education organizations dedicated to raising public awareness about social, cultural, political, and economic issues important to the hip-hop generation in the United States and around the world.
One such organization, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which was founded in 2001, is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for educational advocacy and other fundamental social well-being concerns. of people at risk. youth across the United States. HSAN is the world’s largest nonprofit coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights advocates, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is a hugely influential agent for positive social change that must be used responsibly and proactively to fight the war against poverty and injustice.
Hip-Hop Social Responsibility involves the idea that it is better to be proactive to a problem than reactive to a problem. Social responsibility means eliminating corrupt, irresponsible, or unethical behavior that may cause harm to the community, its people, or the environment before the behavior occurs. Companies that promote hip hop have a fiduciary responsibility to instill a sense of faith and trust that does not allow a product to harm people just to satisfy its own bottom line.